UK Free TV Trends

Keep up with the daily developments that effect free TV in the UK. This list is updated often - you can follow Briantist on Twitter for update Tweets, or use your RSS reader (such a Firefox or Google Reader) with this feed - UK Free TV Trends RSS feed.

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Tuesday 03 March 2015, PM

UK leads the way with in-car Digital RadioNew cars with DAB now stand at 60 in the UK and Norway, whilst Switzerland has 45. Norway and Switzerland are the likely to be the first countries in the world to set firm dates for Digital Switchover. Patrick Hannon, President of WorldDMB said quotOur aim with this research is to demonstrate clearly that DAB digital radio is the platform of the future in Europe. With the first countries moving to Digital Switchover, and motorists driving between these markets, it is becoming increasingly important for car manufacturers to include digital radio as standard. - radiotoday.co.uk

Tuesday 03 March 2015, AM

Tony Hall\'s vision for the BBCThe quotMy BBC revolutionquot will have a higher calling, said Hall. Given Hall039s high praise for Wolf Hall and its star, Mark Rylance, that039s one thing we can definitely expect from the BBC. More Rylance. - www.theguardian.com

Monday 02 March 2015, AM

BBC to hive off production of top shows into studios divisionThe remaining departments - Salford-based children039s and sport and current affairs - will remain within the BBC and be managed by BBC North and BBC News, respectively. The second stage, which is being proposed but will need sign-off from the BBC Trust, government agreement and a change in the BBC039s charter, is for BBC Studios to transfer out of the publicly-funded part of the BBC. It would become a separate subsidiary of the BBC group, operating at arm039s length. - www.theguardian.comTony Hall: BBC needs political and financial backing to survive in digital ageNot only is the speech Hall039s first dealing with the future scope and scale of the BBC - likely battlegrounds of charter renewal negotiations - it comes less than a week after an influential committee of MPs gave their verdict on the funding and governance of the BBC. In a nod to criticism of the BBC039s financial and editorial management mentioned in the report, Hall will suggest that he has fixed some of the problems dogging the corporation since taking the top job two years ago - by making pound1.5bn of cost savings and strengthening editorial processes - and now needs support for the BBC to become quotPioneers againquot. As part of the changes, Fran Unsworth, director of BBC World Service, is to join the BBC039s senior exectuive team. - www.theguardian.comTony Hall plans BBC data \'revolution\'Tony Hall will today set out plans for the BBC to harness the power of data to offer audiences Amazon-style recommendations as it bids to become a “pioneer” in the internet age.The BBC director general will deliver a speech on the future of public service broadcasting on Monday, where he will expand on the “My BBC” plans he set out in October 2013 to help audiences become schedulers.Tony Hall plans personalised BBCDubbed the “My BBC revolution”, Hall will say the corporation will go further and faster than any other broadcaster or online platform in harnessing personal data to empower viewers and listeners. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Sunday 01 March 2015, PM

The Media Column: Brilliant run of dramas sees foreign buyers snap up the best of British …The event, which began above a Brighton pub in 1976, featured exclusive appearances from John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson - Worldwide is the international partner for Atkinson039s new starring role as Maigret, the French detective who returns in two new films for ITV. Rebekah Brooks has moved to New York for a job at News Corp Rebekah Brooks has landed a new job leading Rupert Murdoch039s search for promising internet startups to invest in, it was claimed yesterday. - www.independent.co.ukbut didn\'t tackle burning issue of independenceThese parts of the report could have been written by the BBC. On scope and scale the committee was critical of the BBC039s stance that in order to appeal universally it must do virtually everything it currently does. The committee039s suggested replacement system - a unitary, PLC-style board, with a majority of non-executive directors, to run and govern the BBC, and a separate Public Service Broadcasting Commission to oversee strategy and regulation - might even be favoured by many senior BBC executives who would quite like the trust to get out of their hair. - www.theguardian.comHow to set up an indoor aerial - Indoor aerials - TV DVD - Which? Technology - www.which.co.uk

Friday 27 February 2015, PM

Thinkbox: decline in heavy TV viewingOverall TV viewing fell slightly in 2014 as the number of people tuning in for more than four hours per day dipped by 7%.According to the study, based on Barb data and compiled by commercial TV body Thinkbox, total average daily viewing time fell by around 11 minutes - from 3 hours 55 minutes in 2013 to 3 hours and 44 minutes last year.Viewing via a TV set was broadly flat year-on-year at 98.4%.According to the data, 16-34 year olds watched 7% less TV via traditional sets in 2014, compared with the previous year. However they were the fastest adopters of new platforms, estimated by Thinkbox to create an additional 5% of viewing. - www.broadcastnow.co.ukHouse of Commons - Future of the BBC - Culture, Media and Sport - www.publications.parliament.uk

Friday 27 February 2015, AM

Why Everyone Was Wrong About Net NeutralityA year ago, Kevin Werbach, a thoughtful and prominent analyst, predicted that quotThe political and marketplace costsquot of strong net-neutrality rules would be just quotToo great.quot He warned, among other things, that Congress would quotGrind the FCC to a standstill, starve its budget, and do everything in their power to inflict permanent harm on the agency. Unlike in 2010, the F.C.C. has written an exceptionally well-defended rule that depends on its broadest grants of authority to regulate quotCommunications by wire.quot Predicting the outcome of an unfiled suit is hazardous business but it is fair to say that knocking out the rules will be rather hard. - www.newyorker.comJohnston Press chief \'excited\' by possibility of news deal with BBCHe thinks the select committee039s call for a quotMore symbiotic relationshipquot between the BBC and local press industry reflects not only his views but also those of the head of BBC news, James Harding. quotThe BBC must not expect to receive others039 news content without providing something in return. We are attracted by the idea of exchanges of content and information, where the BBC local websites link to the source of local material they have used, and in return the BBC allows others to use its content and embed BBC clips on their sites, where these would be of local interest, under a licence agreement. - www.theguardian.comHouse of Cards: how Netflix\'s $100m gamble made them internet video kingsWhat is its secret Netflix039s chief content officer Ted Sarandos recently reaffirmed that the company relies on its rich subscriber data to take editorial decisions where quotSeventy is the data and thirty is judgement, the thirty needs to be on topquot. Television must mine bigger data or risk being Netflixed. - www.theguardian.comNet neutrality rules passed by US regulatorBroadband access is being reclassified as a telecommunications service, meaning it will be subject to much heavier regulation Broadband providers cannot block or speed up connections for a fee Internet providers cannot strike deals with content firms, known as paid prioritisation, for smoother delivery of traffic to consumers Interconnection deals, where content companies pay broadband providers to connect to their networks, will also be regulated Firms which feel that unjust fees have been levied can complain to the FCC. Each one will be dealt with on a case by case basis All of the rules will also apply to mobile providers as well as fixed line providers The FCC won039t apply some sections of the new rules, including price controls. Scott Belcher, chief executive of the Telecommunications Industry Association, said that the quotOnerous set of rulesquot was an quotOver-reaction from the FCCquot. He predicted a two-pronged response from the broadband providers. - m.bbc.co.uk

Thursday 26 February 2015, PM

BBC\'s James Purnell: TV Licence will need modernisingIt also says the threat of jail for non-payment should be scrapped. James Purnell, the BBC039s Director of Strategy, told BBC News that he agrees the TV Licence does need to be modernised. - www.bbc.co.ukBBC picks ENPS replacement26 February 2015 Last updated at 1426 ENPS, the news management system used by BBC journalists to put and keep BBC news on air, is to be phased out. The system - which carries newsfeeds and alerts to the desktop, sends scripts to the prompter, 039speaks039 to the BBC039s audio and video systems and schedules the playout of programmes and reports - has been in use at the BBC since the 1990s. - www.bbc.co.uk

Thursday 26 February 2015, AM

BBC strategy chief: people would pay more and get less with subscriptionsThe BBC039s strategy chief has said everyone would lose out if the BBC became a subscription service, which he said would hit Sky revenues and advertising on ITV and Channel 4. In response to a select committee report into the future of the BBC which called for the abolition of the BBC Trust and an exploration of other funding models, James Purnell championed the BBC039s Hilary Mantel adaptation, Wolf Hall, which has just finished on BBC2, which he described as quotOne of the best programmes for generationsquot. - www.theguardian.comBBC future report: no long-term licence fee; end of the trust; less content is moreThe public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office, must be given quotUnrestricted accessquot to the BBC039s accounts, something which has been fiercely resisted by the BBC. Ofcom039s regulatory powers over the BBC should be extended to include accuracy and impartiality. BBC services have quotStood up remarkably wellquot during the explosion of choice in the digital era with new services such as iPlayer and BBC Radio 6 Music. - www.theguardian.comStarting gun fired in BBC charter battleDaily Mail headlines last year may have sounded the death knell for the BBC licence fee, but it has taken a group of MPs headed by a Thatcherite to decide that the compulsory levy is going to be difficult to replace any time soon. Thursday039s report by the culture, media and sport select committee is simply the firing gun in the charter renewal battle that will wage all the way through to the end of 2016, when the current charter governing the BBC ends. - www.theguardian.comBBC\'s licence fee should be decriminalised then scrapped, MPs sayquotThe principle of the licence fee in its current form is becoming harder sustain. We conclude that a degree of subscription could be a possibility in future if the BBC moved to a more personalised ervice, but as a minimum the licence fee should be amended to cover catch up TV as soon as possible. A BBC spokesman said quotThis report confirms the importance of the BBC in national life and recommends maintaining and modernising the licence fee, something we have said is necessary. - www.telegraph.co.uk

Wednesday 25 February 2015, PM

5G researchers manage record connection speedThe speed is more than 65,000 times faster than average 4G download speeds. The regulator said it expected 5G mobile to be capable of delivering between 10 and 50Gbps, compared with the 4G average download speed of 15Megabits per second. - www.bbc.co.ukBBC3: Danny Cohen\'s letter to Jon Thoday and Jimmy MulvilleThe media behaviour of these six- to 12-year-olds needs to shape the future of BBC3. The BBC needs to change now so as to learn how to serve them best not just for the sake of BBC3 but to help secure the long-term relevance and strength of the BBC overall. Nor would the BBC be willing to allow a third-party company to decide the editorial direction of a BBC branded channel in the UK. We would also not wish to risk invalidating the BBC trademark by splitting it. - www.theguardian.com

Wednesday 25 February 2015, AM

BBC Trust probes potential EU rule breach over local TVThe BBC Trust is investigating whether EU rules may have been breached after £25m of licence fee funding was ploughed into launching local television.A report by auditor KPMG, commissioned by the Trust last year, has raised concerns that EU state aid clearances may have been misinterpreted when the broadcasting network for local TV was put in place.The Trust plans to discuss the issues over the coming weeks with the Department for Culture Media and Sport and Comux (DCMS), the organisation in charge of the network’s roll-out.KPMG’s concerns are understood to focus on around 8% of the £25m of licence fee spend and whether certain infrastructure costs formed part of the EU state aid clearance. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Tuesday 24 February 2015, PM

Danny Cohen aims to rid BBC of \'addiction\' to overnight ratingsDanny Cohen will attempt to wean staff off their “addiction” to the overnight ratings by introducing sophisticated internal data, which will also how reveal how the BBC is reaching underserved viewers.The BBC director of television has invited his division to sign up to two distinct daily emailed reports, which will be grounded in Barb data but offer a more rounded picture of how the corporation’s shows are performing.The first email, titled the Live+7 Report, will offer commissioners and producers a total audience figure encompassing four sets of data: live and viewed on same day as live, consolidated, narrative repeats and iPlayer viewing. - www.broadcastnow.co.ukOfcom announces trials to help small stations join digital radioIf the trials are successful, UK radio listeners could benefit from more local and community radio stations on DAB.Currently, the cost of broadcasting on DAB is beyond the reach of many small radio stations. Digital radio in the UK. Almost half of UK adults say they now own a digital DAB radio set and 37.9 of all radio listening is digital. - media.ofcom.org.uk

Monday 23 February 2015, AM

Ofcom probes London Lives local programming commitmentsOfcom has held talks with London Live to assess whether the local television station is meeting its commitments to first run local programming.The media regulator has “sought further information” from the Evening Standard-backed station about its content line-up and is now in the process of deciding whether to launch a formal investigation.Ofcom’s approach earlier this month was prompted by questions over the number of repeats in London Live’s schedule - which was reported in The Guardian - and Broadcast’s analysis of the channel’s January output.London Live has a commitment to broadcast an average of eight hours of “first run local programming” a day, three of which must be between 6pm and 10.30pm. It was these pledges in its 12-year licence that London Live attempted to radically reduce last year. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Saturday 21 February 2015, PM

Big Centre TV set to go live in Black Country ? Express StarFreeview viewers may need to re-tune their Freeview TVs, boxes or recorders if they wish to watch Big Centre TV. Ofcom039s broadcast licensing committee awarded the local TV licence to Kaleidoscope TV, the holding company for Big Centre TV, following the collapse of City TV last year. The commitments include an initial 41 hours of local programmes a week, including a 90-minute breakfast show, news at noon and a half-hour programme of news at 6pm and 10pm. IT also plans to show 40 hours of repeats. - www.expressandstar.com

Friday 20 February 2015, AM

Consumers TV-Viewing Habits Detailed In New StudyNearly half of SVOD subscribers have found new programming through streaming that the then watch on live TV. More than seven in ten viewers say networks that they already watch are an important source of information about new programming. SVOD subscribers are more favorable toward program quality than nonsubscribers with 60 percent saying, quotThere are more high quality programs availablequot and 70 percent say there is a quotGreater variety of programs than in the past. - www.hollywoodreporter.comSir Hugh Greene, BBC radical, dies at 76: from the archive, 20 February 1987Sir Hugh Greene, the former director-general of the BBC who presided over the radical transformation of the corporation039s output in the 1960s, died in a London hospital yesterday, aged 76. Mr Alasdair Milne, who recently retired as BBC director-general, said last night 039Hugh Greene was a great liberalising influence in the BBC. With his background as a foreign correspondent in Germany and Poland before the war and his command of the BBC039s German service during the war, he had a unique experience of the journalistic side of the BBC. 039He was therefore a natural choice as director-general in 1960. - www.theguardian.comWar on the BBC: the triumphs and turbulence of the Thatcher yearsPapers in the BBC archives dating from the late 50s show her bouncing on to the BBC stage as a new MP. She was recognised straight away by the Corporation as one to watch. When Thatcher intervened in the constitutional conventions that had guarded the Corporation039s independence from government, Whitelaw cashed in his loyalty to the prime minister to protect the BBC. The Home Office often came to the BBC039s aid. - www.theguardian.com

Thursday 19 February 2015, AM

New HTTP/2 protocol to speed up the web is approved18 February 2015 Last updated at 1909 A new web protocol that promises to speed up internet browsing has been approved. The Internet Engineering Steering Group has accepted the protocol, one of its senior members wrote in a blogpost on Wednesday. - www.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: Internet access should be a basic right, House of Lords report saysProduced by the digital skills committee of the House of Lords, the report written for the incoming government stresses that a robust digital strategy is critical to the country039s future. The report, called 039Make or Break The UK039s Digital Future039, says quotDigital technology is changing all our lives, work, society and politics. It brings with it huge opportunities for the UK, but also significant risks. This demands an ambitious approach which will secure the UK039s position as a digital leader. - dtg.org.uk

Wednesday 18 February 2015, PM

Save BBC Three petition delivered to BBC TrustCampaigners against proposals to turn digital station BBC Three into an online-only channel in the autumn have delivered a petition, signed by more than 270,000 people, to the BBC Trust. After the protest they marched the short distance to the BBC039s Trust headquarters to hand the petition to Jon Cowdock, the Trust039s head of business strategy. - www.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday 18 February 2015, AM

Why is the BBC just so bad at TV news?Over on the BBC039s dedicated news channel - formerly known as BBC News 24 - the lead item at 9pm was pensioner bonds, followed at a quick trot by reports on Prince Charles039s fogeyish thoughts about Islamist militancy on the Ukraine on hospital trust finances on Labour promises and Tory rejoinders and on Tony Abbott039s shaky majority in the Australian parliament. To spend any length of time with the BBC039s rolling news is to be assailed, despite skilled presenters like Simon McCoy, by a terrible creeping blandness, because BBC News has its comfort zones where it dwells whenever possible. - www.independent.co.ukTrust gets petition to save BBC Three17 February 2015 Last updated at 1705 Campaigners have delivered a petition signed by about 271,000 people asking the BBC to reconsider the decision to axe BBC Three as a digital television channel. A BBC spokesperson said 039With the licence fee frozen we039ve had to make some difficult choices in order to save pound800m a year, including moving BBC Three online. - www.bbc.co.uk

Tuesday 17 February 2015, PM

Listeners complain about lost streamsThe problem stems from the BBC switching off certain old systems used to deliver audio streams to particular devices. 5 live listeners who now get their station stream as an international Shoutcast are finding it039s missing the sport as the BBC does not hold the international rights. - www.bbc.co.ukIndependent review into TV Licence Enforcement seeks viewsThe Review is looking at options for changing the current enforcement measures, including the decriminalisation of TV licence evasion offences, and whether these options would represent an improvement to the existing system. Reform of current system leave the current offence as it stands but reform the current criminal enforcement system. - www.gov.uk\'Save BBC3\' campaigners deliver petition to BBC TrustCampaigners have delivered a petition signed by more than a quarter of a million people calling on the BBC not to axe digital station BBC3. The petition, signed by 271,222 people, was delivered to the BBC Trust, which has yet to rule on the plan to take the youth-oriented station online-only. quotJono Read, who set up the petition, saidquotOnly last month the BBC Trust claimed that they want to give power to the people rather than leaving important decisions within the hands of a 039small elite039 management at the BBC. quotIf they genuinely mean this they will listen to the 270,000 people who have signed the Change.org petition against the closure of BBC3, and the views of key BBC3 talent who are dead set against the proposals. - www.theguardian.com

Tuesday 17 February 2015, AM

World Have Your Say TV faces axeOnly a year ago, this same team - currently led by acting editor David Mazower - faced the prospect of losing their jobs as part of cuts announced to the News division the World Service radio programme would go to save money. WHYS presenter Tilley takes up the argument, explaining that if the team had been told it was about the editorial direction of the programme, they039d hold their hands up and respect the decision of the people in charge of the channel. - www.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: Ofcom approves use of innovative \'TV white space\' wireless technologyWhite space spectrum in the TV frequency band appeals to industry because it can travel longer distances and more easily through walls than the bands used by other wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This announcement follows a series of successful industry trials, where TV white space was used to serve innovative purposes, from internet access for ships in the Orkney Islands to video streaming of animals at ZSL London Zoo. DTG Testing played a key role in this development, carrying out comprehensive tests on 50 TVs, the results of which were used to verify Ofcom039s framework for the power levels at which TV white space devices can operate without causing interference to TV. Ofcom is also exploring how the white space from other frequency bands can be used in the future. - dtg.org.ukDisused Stations: Palace Gates StationIn an attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the Palace as a tourist attraction the Great Eastern resurrected their line from Seven Sisters but this time it was a more modest scheme, terminating at a station called Palace Gates adjacent to the GNR039s Wood Green station and avoiding the steep climb up to the Palace. The Palace Gates branch was at its height in the early 20th century with a 30-minute interval off-peak service to Liverpool Street with 41 up and 38 down trains between Palace Gates and Liverpool Street and an hourly weekday service to North Woolwich. - www.disused-stations.org.uk

Monday 16 February 2015, PM

Anger over BBC radio streaming changesThe BBC is also working with the radio industry and manufacturers towards using just one standard, known as Mpeg Dash, which will be industry-wide and open source, said Andrew Scott, the BBC039s head of radio music product. Changes to the Shoutcast stream have left the owners of devices receiving it unable to hear BBC Sport content, wrote Henry Webster, the BBC039s head of media services, on the BBC Internet Blog. - www.bbc.co.ukBBC and community reporters hook up16 February 2015 Last updated at 1556 BBC local radio journalists will work with community reporters next week to tell new stories and bring new voices to each patch. The mentoring project is the first fruit of a new national agreement between the BBC and the Community Media Association, the UK representative body for the community broadcasting sector, that builds on earlier cooperation between the two groups at local level. - www.bbc.co.ukVirgin Media to expand cable footprintVirgin Media, with the support of parent company Liberty Global, plans to expand its cable footprint to a further four million homes and businesses in the United Kingdom, taking its addressable market to 17 million premises. Liberty Global has a total of 14.80 million digital video customers in Europe, and a further 7.49 million analogue customers, giving a total of 23.10 million video customers and 16.13 million internet subscribers across the region. - informitv.com

Monday 16 February 2015, AM

SES BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTS OF THE ULTRA HD ECOSYSTEMWhile on the one hand, sales of UHD screens are expected to increase to two million by 2017, and the range of UHD devices is already widening - 75 models will be offered in 2015, on the other hand price erosion is also foreseen. Thomas Wrede, VP Reception Systems at SES, closed the event by stating that SES was very aware that the pace of innovation in UHD was challenging. - www.ses.com

Saturday 14 February 2015, AM

A time capsule of the BBC at Alexandra Palace?In due course, most television production moved to Lime Grove studios in Shepherds Bush and then the BBC039s new Television Centre. quotYou039re brought through to Studio A, where it happened,quot he says, quotAnd Studio A is gradually revealed to you through a series of curtains, using sound and light and images and audio-visual presentation, dramatically using real characters to tell the story of the competing technologies, and the amazingly cobbled-together but dramatic moment when they began to broadcast, and beyond into colour television and all the things that happened here. - www.bbc.co.uk://A time capsule of the BBC at Alexandra Palace -

Friday 13 February 2015, PM

Audio Factory: updateWe have retained a single SHOUTcast stream of each service using the mp3 codec to support devices that cannot support these protocols. We have been communicating our plans to manufacturers and aggregators for the last 12 months but we are aware that some devices will not be able to receive these new formats, or there may be gaps in service as manufacturers work to deliver upgrades to devices to make them compatible with our new streams. - www.bbc.co.ukDTG :: News :: DTG Testing hits 100 product milestone for Digital Radio Tick MarkDTG Testing, the UK039s only accredited house testing against the Digital Radio Tick Mark specification, has successfully tested more than 100 different DAB products. Ed Vaizey, Minister of Culture and the Digital Economy, recently announced the single biggest expansion of local digital radio coverage-182 new digital transmitters-which will provide eight million more people with access to their local radio stations by 2016. - dtg.org.uk

Friday 13 February 2015, AM

NBC s opportunity BuzzMachineNBC has a chance to reinvent television news without the plastic personality, the manufactured celebrity, the staged reality, the smarmy transitions, the bullshit BREAKING NEWS, the weather panic, the repetition, the predictability, the sensationalism, the insulting simplicity, the false balance, the lying anchor, and the single point of failure that has been its business model. The entire structure of NBC news is still built around Brian Williams The news is who reads it. - buzzmachine.com

Thursday 12 February 2015, PM

DTG :: News :: DTG welcomes Freeview Play connected TV brand updateThe D-Book8 DTT Interoperability specification will lay the technical bedrock for a robust hybrid service as it evolves beyond traditional broadcast TV. Digital UK and DTG Testing have already signed an agreement to develop a test suite for Freeview Play, which DTG Testing is now building with leading CE manufacturers. The ongoing cooperation between Freeview, the DTG and Digital UK builds on the success and experience of Freeview HD, developing the technical framework and managing conformance of products entering the retail market, which has seen it become the UK039s most-watched high definition TV platform. - dtg.org.ukSES BRINGS ULTRA HD DEMO CHANNEL TO THE UK AND IRELANDLuxembourg, 12 February 2015 - SES S.A. announced today that its Ultra High Definition demonstration channel is now available in the UK and Ireland. SES is the world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites. - www.ses.comFreeview Play takes on YouView, adds catch-up directly in EPGFreeview has announced its newly rebranded service, Freeview Play. Guy North, Freeview managing director said quotFreeview has been built on a vision to make television available to all free from subscription. In the same way that we took the UK from analogue to digital, Freeview Play is the next step in that vision and it will put the viewer in control, without complexity, commitment or unnecessary cost - we want to keep television fair and open for everyone. That means giving consumers the freedom to choose the TV they want, the way they want it. - www.pocket-lint.com

Thursday 12 February 2015, AM

Asia Radio TodayThe overall figures 89 of the UK listens to radio once a week, and we listen to a total of 21.3 hours a week. Listening via DAB radio - the UK039s kind-of equivalent of HD - is at an all-time high, at 25. And streaming of live radio via the internet actually dropped last quarter, though the trend continues to grow. - asiaradiotoday.comBBC fights back after Sun splashThe Sun slammed the BBC on Wednesday for paying 65 MPs around pound200,000 over five years to take part in its radio and television programmes. The Sun called the fees a 039scandal039, but the BBC said it was glad the paper 039enjoys holding the BBC to account and challenging us - it keeps us on our toes and makes sure the licence fee is well spent039. - www.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday 11 February 2015, PM

PMQs: Cameron announces free train wi-fi from 2017He was asked about improving communications for business people, commuters and students by former Tory cabinet minister Maria Miller, who claimed quotOur trains are stuck in the analogue agequot. BBC Politics Live - text and video updates through the day. - www.bbc.co.ukBroadchurch fails to halt ITV\'s record January ratings slumpITV039s woes have been compounded by a run of poorly rating factual shows, including The Wonder of Britain, the first ITV series fronted by former Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury, which was pulled last month after two episodes. Its share including ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 and its recently launched sister networks, entertainment and lifestyle channel ITVBe and premium drama channel, ITV Encore, had a combined 20.5 share of viewing in January, according to figures seen by MediaGuardian. - www.theguardian.com

Wednesday 11 February 2015, AM

DTG :: News :: New HbbTV specification enhances consumer TV servicesquotKlaus Illgner, chairman of the HbbTV Association, saidquotThe HbbTV Association is pleased to announce the HbbTV 2.0 specification which sets the stage to introduce exciting new services in 2016. quotWith HbbTV 2.0, consumers will be able to explore a richer, more immersive experience with new applications, exciting user interfaces and support for companion devices. This is an important milestone for the industry and represents the efforts of HbbTV Association members who have worked to define the specifications for the next wave of TV based on HbbTV. - dtg.org.uk

Monday 09 February 2015, PM

Dishs Sling TV to Add AMC to $20 Monthly Internet Package, Launches NationwideDish Network soon will add AMC - home of shows like quotThe Walking Dead,quot quotBetter Call Saulquot and quotMad Menquot - to the core 20-per-month Sling TV service, which it is launching nationwide in the U.S Monday with 14 cable channels including ESPN. quotWe flipped the switch this morning opening up Sling TV to all consumers, and we039re giving them something they039ve been asking for AMC,quot Roger Lynch, CEO of Dish039s Sling TV division. - variety.comMultichannel television remains relevantThe survey of over 2,000 multiplatform viewers found that 20 of those who have multichannel services said they were likely to cut their traditional pay-television services, while 25 of multiplatform viewers who do not have or have never had a multichannel service said they were likely to start subscribing to one. The overwhelming majority of those with both an online subscription video service and multichannel television are not ready to give up easy access to television channels, even when presented with the option of adding standalone services like HBO, Showtime or CBS. Three quarters of those with multichannel television rated access to broadcast networks as the main advantage and two thirds said that broadcast primetime dramas or comedies are essential. - informitv.comNot in front of the telly: Warning over \'listening\' TVIn response to the widespread sharing of its policy statement, Samsung has issued a statement to clarify how voice activation works. Samsung said quotIf a consumer consents and uses the voice recognition feature, voice data is provided to a third party during a requested voice command search. At that time, the voice data is sent to a server, which searches for the requested content then returns the desired content to the TV.quot. - www.bbc.co.ukUKTV Play launches on AndroidUK media company UKTV has launched its TV application UKTV Play on Android. Dan Fahy, UKTV039s Director, Commercial and Business Development, said the broadcaster had created UKTV Play so that viewers could watch UKTV039s great shows anytime, anywhere. - advanced-television.com

Monday 09 February 2015, AM

BBC Radio 6 Music leads the way as radios digital revolution gathers momentumI went into a model railway shop and in the workshop in the back they had a radio tuned to 6 Music. It took us a long time to get there but to me it indicated that digital radio has really broken through said Lamacq. The proportion of in-home radio listening via digital platforms such as digital audio broadcasting radios grew to 46.2 per cent in the final three months of last year, overtaking analogue. - www.independent.co.uk

Sunday 08 February 2015, PM

BBC Trust must take a hard look at itselfLast week saw Rona Fairhead, the new chair of the BBC Trust, give her first major public speech. I remember watching Sir Christopher Bland, newly arrived as BBC chairman with a reputation for being his own man, make one of his first speeches in the mid-90s. Senior executives became visibly more relaxed as he complimented the BBC and its then strategy. - www.theguardian.com

Sunday 08 February 2015, AM

Our unique television culture needs friends in high placesExcept if you are a Conservative activist, commentator or backbench MP. They stare glumly at British television in the hands of an allegedly liberal, well-paid mafia undermining the moral fibre of the country, abusing the quotPoll taxquot of the licence fee unashamedly to advance a liberal worldview and consistently airing the grievances and stories of enemies of the Conservative party. The Conservative aim is to cut licence fee revenue back even more, perhaps recycling it to other broadcasters. - gu.com

Saturday 07 February 2015, AM

Why it is better for golf if BBC makes itself scarce on the fairwaysThe facts suggest that years of free-to-air Open Championships have done nothing to affect the decline of golf as a participation sport. The truth is that the BBC is well out of golf, or at least out of a massive commitment to one of the sport039s two domestic showpieces. - www.theguardian.comEd Vaizey announces major digital radio expansionThe Minister highlighted progress made on the transition to digital radio over the last four years - more than 61 per cent of new cars now come with digital radio as standard, up from 43.5 per cent in Q4 2013 and only 4.4 per cent in Q1 2010 at the beginning of the Government039s Digital Radio Action Plan. Dee Ford, CEO of Bauer Media, says quotBauer is the leading commercial digital radio broadcaster with over 51 per cent of our listening already digital. Our distinctive station formats are showing significant growth, and we have further invested in local DAB with the launch of 12 new stations. In addition, we have a strong commitment to National DAB radio with our Sound Digital bid for the second National digital multiplex. - media.info

Friday 06 February 2015, PM

Ed Vaizey updates industry with DAB planDee Ford, CEO of Bauer Media, says quotBauer is the leading commercial digital radio broadcaster with over 51 per cent of our listening already digital. Our distinctive station formats are showing significant growth, and we have further invested in local DAB with the launch of 12 new stations. In addition, we have a strong commitment to National DAB radio with our Sound Digital bid for the second National digital multiplex. Jon Oliver, Category Manager - Tech, Halfords, says quotHalfords is committed to offer our customers the widest range of in-car digital radio in the market with the richly superior listening experience that it offers, and we welcome the significant coverage improvements and the expansion of choice of stations. From early April, all of our digital radio car stereos will be digital tick approved, and with our in-store expertise and nationwide fitting service across 467 shops, will drive further awareness with consumers. - radiotoday.co.ukManchester local TV station in doubtThe future of the Sir Michael Lyons-backed local television station YourTV Manchester has been thrown into doubt after it has failed to get on air two years after receiving a licence.Industry sources have indicated that it is very unlikely that YourTV Manchester, which is chaired by former BBC Trust boss Lyons, will meet its transmission deadline. Ofcom has confirmed it is in talks with the service.. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Thursday 05 February 2015, PM

BBC licence fee: decriminalisation of non-payment pushed back until 2017quotA BBC spokesman saidquotWe039re working with the government039s review into licence fee enforcement, and have always maintained that any changes to the licence fee system need to take into account the full effects on the BBC039s income, and should only be made in tandem with the next licence fee settlement. The debate about the BBC039s charter renewal and future of the licence fee will not begin in earnest until after the general election in May. Rona Fairhead, chair of the BBC Trust, used a speech on Tuesday to warn the government there was no public appetite for political interference in the BBC in a bid to avoid a repeat of the quotShotgunquot licence fee deal of 2010 that ushered in a new era of cuts at the corporation. - gu.comBirminghams local TV channel set to launch on February 28The fledgling station, co-owned by former ATV presenter Mike Prince and ex-teacher Chris Perry, is due to launch at 6pm on Saturday February 28, and will broadcast from Walsall Studio School. quotPeter Stack, creative director and head of sixth form at the Studio School, which is based in the town039s Goldmine Centre, saidquotOur philosophy is to bring the place of work to the school. - www.birminghammail.co.ukBBC: 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra lead digital chargeRadio 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra have both gained their biggest-ever audiences - with 6 Music becoming the first digital-only radio station to reach two million weekly listeners - according to data published by RAJAR. All BBC Radio039s weekly reach over the period was 34.80 million and a share of 52.8. Radio 1 attracted 10.43 million listeners during the period with a share of 6.6, continuing to reach around 40 of the country039s 15-24-year-olds. - media.infoCrack appears in BBC basement at ?1bn New Broadcasting House | Media | The GuardianAfter the BBC spent pound1bn on redeveloping and building New Broadcasting House the corporation could be forgiven for thinking there would be few problems with its high-tech new central London headquarters. He went on to say it was, quotActually quicker to pop out to the Yorkshire Greyquot a nearby pub to quotBuy a pint and use their toilet than to find a working one in BHquot. Andy Baker, in charge of the building039s management, said any building housing so many staff would encounter problems. - www.theguardian.com25 per cent of all radio listening is now DABKISSTORY has over a million digital listeners, the Smooth network is up 41 and has nearly 2 million weekly listeners on digital, and LBC039s digital listening was up 20 year on year thanks to its national coverage. Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, says quotThe shift to digital listening continues, with digital listening in home now overtaking analogue listening, and DAB is leading the way. The fact that over 25 of radio listening is now on DAB and the success of the national commercial stations on the Digital One DAB network strongly makes the case for the benefits of the launch of D2 - the second national DAB network. - radiotoday.co.ukWhen Netflix and other on-demand services killed the TV ad golden gooseDespite mounting evidence that viewers have been abandoning live viewing, Nielsen has not produced a viable system for counting all those non-linear views. Given viewers039 strong preference for watching TV on their own schedules, PVR viewing numbers are only going to rise. - www.theguardian.com

Wednesday 04 February 2015, PM

Sky vows to ramp-up spending on original British contentSpeaking after Sky announced a 16 rise in adjusted operating profit in its first results since its pound5bn acquisition of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland last November, Darroch said the focus on content and a push into drama was paying dividends in terms of improving people039s perception of Sky. quotWe039ve seen recently a sea change now in terms of perception of Sky039s content over the last few years. If you ask customers today who039s the leader in terms of entertainment, slightly more than half will say Sky - well above even the likes of the BBC, Virgin and others. - www.theguardian.comWorld Service cuts back on medium wave broadcastsFran Unsworth, the director of the World Service, says 039Our English language service will still be available via satellite and on the internet - which is increasingly how our audiences tune in. The BBC took over the cost of the World Service from the Foreign Office in April 2014. - www.bbc.co.ukBBC Trust to look into ?100m bid to save BBC3 channel | Media | The GuardianWith negotiations around the BBC039s royal charter and licence fee due to begin in earnest after May039s general election, Fairhead called on the BBC to be extricated from the next government spending review. Fairhead said the BBC039s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, headed by Tim Davie, had to generate more revenues and return more income to the licence fee payer. - www.theguardian.com

Wednesday 04 February 2015, AM

Cable TV viewing declined by more than 12 percent in JanuarySo why is live TV struggling DiClemente pointed the finger at streaming services as the reason for the decline quotNetflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu, continue to siphon viewers away from linear TV,quot he concluded. Disney on the other hand only faced ratings declines of 7.5 percent, thanks in part to great ratings for ESPN. - gigaom.com

Tuesday 03 February 2015, PM

BBC Trust chair warns government over political interferenceBBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead has warned the government there is no public appetite for political interference in the BBC in a bid to avoid a repeat of the quotShotgunquot licence fee deal of 2010 that ushered in a new era of cuts at the corporation. With negotiations about the BBC039s new royal charter and licence fee set to begin in earnest after May039s general election, Fairhead said it quotOught to be crystal clear what the BBC has agreed to do as part of its public service remitquot following a quotProper public debatequot. - gu.comDigital Two applications published by OfcomSound Digital plans to co-site transmitters for D2 with Digital One and the BBC national networks to avoid adjacent channel interference to existing digital radio services, and use the same dual satellite distribution feeds that are used by the Digital One network. Some of the services proposed are already available on Digital One, but Sound Digital says it will still broaden listener choice as the transfer of Planet Rock, Premier Christian Radio and Absolute Radio 80s to the new multiplex would support a further future extension in the choice of distinct national digital radio services available in the UK. Listen2Digital were the secret bid by Orion Media, partnering with Babcock Communications Ltd and other companies offering to bring even more choice to the digital radio scene. - radiotoday.co.ukBroadcast and Screen International publisher sold by Top Right GroupMedia Business Insight, which publishes the industry magazines Broadcast and Screen International, has been sold by Top Right Group to the private equity firm Mobeus Equity Partners, which backed a management buyout. Duncan Painter, CEO of Top Right Group quotWe believe Mobeus is an excellent partnership for the MBI business. Their investment will enable the management team to further develop the valuable information MBI provides to its customers across multiple platforms. We wish them every success with their plans for the future. - www.theguardian.com

Tuesday 03 February 2015, AM

RNIB\'s Insight Radio confirms closure of Sky serviceRNIB039s Insight Radio station has announced that it will cease transmission on Sky channel 0188 on Monday 9th February 2015. On air and on social media platforms, it is encouraging listeners to make the switch to Freeview channel 730, where the station has had a presence since 1st April 2014.Alternatively, the station continues to be available mobile and online platforms. - www.a516digital.comIn Net Neutrality Push, F.C.C. Is Expected to Propose Regulating Internet Service as a Uti…The Internet Association, whose members include Amazon, Facebook, Google and Netflix, applauded Mr. Obama and urged the F.C.C. to follow his lead to quotEnsure a free and open Internet. Mr. Farber helped design parts of the Internet, served on the board of the Internet Society and is a former chief technologist of the F.C.C.quotMy fear,quot Mr. Farber said, quotIs that regulating the Internet like a telecommunications service potentially opens a Pandora039s box. - www.nytimes.comFairhead: BBC charter renewal bigger than a \'small elite\'Rona Fairhead will today warn that the job of renewing the BBC’s charter for the next decade should not be handled by a “small elite” if it is to deliver value for licence fee payers.In a carefully worded message for the government, the BBC Trust chairman will argue that renewing the broadcaster’s charter and agreeing its licence fee settlement must be subject to “proper public debate”.Taking to a stage at the British Museum this evening for her first speech since taking office in October last year, Fairhead said charter renewal will provoke a “very real debate about the future, size and shape” of the BBC. - www.broadcastnow.co.uk

Monday 02 February 2015, PM

Heart TV in breach for too many advertsOfcom noted during monitoring that the Global-owned pop music channel exceeded the permitted advertising allowance in a clock hour on 27 October by 72 seconds. Global explained the error occurred due to the automatic movement of a break to the end of a clock hour, which pushed some commercials intended for the 1000 clock hour into the 1100 clock hour. - radiotoday.co.uk

Monday 02 February 2015, AM

Absolute Radio 70s test spotted on satelliteAbsolute Radio 70s has been spotted testing on satellite in a major distribution boost for the offshoot of Absolute Radio. Data for Absolute Radio 70s has been seen on the Eutelsat 28A satellite via the transponder on frequency 11680, vertical polarisation, label 55392, symbol rate 27,500. - www.a516digital.comFollow the money and you\'ll find the future of newsEvery waking moment, note how social media - especially Facebook and YouTube, at least for the moment - have taken over as massive platforms for news in words and in viral pictures. With James Harding and his ambitious, two-stage Future of News report, begin to glimpse how the digital tsunami of information - some of it going global in an instant, some of it leaving gaping holes in the coverage local communities require to help them navigate life - needs a trusted friend to guide the way. - www.theguardian.comRural broadband: BT attacked on broadband costsIn response BT said that its initial cost estimates were quotBased on our initial view of how much it would cost to deploy fibre in rural areasquot. He felt vindicated by the findings, saying quotThirty-eight per cent excess costs have been confirmed in the cost models used to calculate the milestone payments. Those monies - and there will be more - need to be used to extend the fibre rollout further. - www.bbc.co.uk

Friday 30 January 2015, PM

it\'s time for a proper, factual inquiryAre reporters nowadays confined to their desks, relying on phone and email contacts In a digital world, is the decline in shoe-leather reporting problematic Some suggest a readiness to sacrifice quality reporting by obliging reporters to churn out articles without adequate checks. - www.theguardian.com

Friday 30 January 2015, AM

Two bidders for D2 here s what we knowIf Sound Digital win, three stations would be removed from D1, allowing extra services to join the first national multiplex, or giving the remaining stations the opportunity to offer a stereo service. Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK is happy with the bids quotWe welcome both bids for the second national commercial DAB network - it039s great news for radio and for listeners. The additional capacity on DAB will enable greater innovation, more competition and a wider choice of stations for listeners. We look forward to the launch of new stations in early 2016.quot. - radiotoday.co.ukBBC retains Premier League rights for ?204m | News | BroadcastThe BBC will keep hold of Premier League football until 2019 and launch a mid-week Match of the Day on BBC2 as part of a £204m deal.The corporation has retained the football highlights package for another three seasons, from 2016/17 to 2018/19, after it was reported that ITV decided against bidding. - www.broadcastnow.co.ukChildren\'s TV and current affairs unlikely to be involved in BBC competition revolutionSenior sources at the BBC say that the business case is quotLess clear cutquot for childrens039 production, a market the BBC dominates. The two BBC channels commission many independent producers as well as the BBC039s own The Dumping Ground, Hackertime and Sam and Mark039s big Friday Wind Up. Greg Childs, who headed the launch team for BBC Children039s channels, CBBC and CBeebies, and is now director of the children039s media foundation, said quotThe BBC is the only game in town, certainly the only big player in town. - www.theguardian.comTwo bidders for second national DAB multiplexListen2Digital039s bid also includes RTEacute Radio 1, which is the Irish public service broadcaster039s speech and music station, Share Radio, the financial broadcaster that launched in London last year, two Christian stations from Premier Christian Radio, and a number of confidential partners including a new sports talk station, a top40 station, a modern rock channel, a specialist jazz/blues/soul station, and a channel devoted to food. The multiplex will also add national coverage to Sunrise Radio, UCB Inspirational and to Premier Christian Radio, the only station to publicly appear in both bids. - media.info

Thursday 29 January 2015, AM

TV advertising needs to measure up to the challenges aheadWith smart TV advertising targeting, it means that not only is the consumer watching different things at different times in different places, they039re also being served different ads depending on their demographic data and viewing habits. In the US, universal use of gross rating points is more commonplace, largely because organisations such as Nielsen measure multiple media formats, including press, TV and out-of-home TV. The main point is that planners need an effective way of combining the quotOverlappingquot media that fall between different media categories in a way that doesn039t detract from the accountability their clients demand. - www.theguardian.comMuddled thinking clouds BBC3 bidSo little of Avalon and Hat Trick’s BBC3 bid adds up. What’s their long-term goal, asks Stephen Arnell.So Avalon and Hat Trick are sticking to their guns with their proposal to buy BBC3.Unfortunately though, with each further detail they reveal, there are more questions than answers. - www.broadcastnow.co.ukUK Digital TV penetration fallsAmong the old there has been a decrease in Freeview ownership and it is no longer the case that Freeview ownership is higher in rural locations. In 2014 there was a decrease in Freeview-only ownership among consumers aged 65-74 and also among those aged 45-64. - www.broadbandtvnews.comRadio 2 goes country with DAB stationThe pop-up DAB radio service - Radio2Country - will air from March 5 to 8, midday to midnight, with a line-up of archive documentaries, live broadcasts and special shows, including coverage from the UK039s largest country music festival C2C from London039s O2. Artists scheduled to perform include Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Lee Ann Womack and Lady Antebellum. Sax Appeal Ivy Benson039s All Girl Band is a sister programme to a documentary about the bandleader which aired on Radio 4 in October and is available on iPlayer Radio. - www.bbc.co.uk